I was really afraid when my due date was close but I had two natural births and I am really happy with my decision. I know it is a lot of pain at the moment, but some other mothers say that having c-section hurts about the same after.

I'm a mother to one beautiful girl and let me tell you, you can't predict what will happen when you go into labour. Your body will take charge and if you deliver naturally then ok, if it results in c-section instead then that's ok too. I believe none of it is a choice, your body will decide on the day. I my case I did everything I could to stick to a natural birth plan and all went the other way with my daughter being born by c-section after 32 hours of labour. And I'm fit and healthy, go figure. The best you can do for yourself is to be calm and let nature and/or modern medicine get the baby out for you. good luck : )

I too am pregnant with my 2nd. When I was pregnant with my first, I did it naturally. It is the hardest thing that I have ever done. The labour was long, painful and hard, but being at home allowed me the freedom to do things my way without being rushed. My midwife really made sure that both my wife and I were prepared for the birth, and they let me know about options for pain relief that wasn't directly meds. I had some awfully intense contractions but found that a few hot showers really did help ease a lot of the pain. I know that for this birth I am really eager to try a water birth, to see if that eases some of the pain.

All I can say is don't ever let anyone make you feel inferior for how you choose to give birth. It's your body and your call.

I know when I have my baby I just want drugs Drugs DRUGS! I don't think the nitrous gas is standard in US or even available at most hospitals outside of Canada/Europe although I WANT ittttt. I know nature built us for baby making but I'll keep to the all natural and organic stuff for after birth day. I have a long complicated aversion to pain so til then, i wanna be sedated♫!

Cheers!

“And remember, my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.” L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz

I'm currently pregnant with my sixth child. I had the first two without medication and epidurals with the other three. I can't tell you what's best for you, but for me, the whole experience was really better with the drugs. No one was there at the end, pinning a medal on me for living with the pain. It was not a failure or less than noble act for me to take advantage of modern medicine. With the epidurals, I was able to concentrate more on the joy of the moment and communicate pleasantly with others. Most importantly, all five babies were healthy and perfect regardless of which decision I made, and it didn't make a lick of difference later. This time, I'm going with the drugs for sure. I want the day to be fun and joyous. Like Poppy528 and JoeyRamone, I too wanna be sedated! )